thebrain

Please advice new audio sys. For my new van

I have a 04 Chevy 3500 RV van.





Normal ppl will think ah big van lets load up on as many speakers an amps as possible, when it’s actuely the opposite there’s not much room at all.



I’m only planning front door speakers an a flattened sub stuffed under the passenger seat I'd like a 10" sub(that’s after I raise the seats pedestal basically a wooden box). As of now there’s only 3” of height clearance

15” depth. About same in width. also should inside of seat pedistal be lined w/ duno mate or equivant insulation. this van has zero insulation in walls/doors floor.but doe's have front & rear area carpet.

I could elevate this another 3”s max.


it would be easier to just have a amplified slim sub

Yet to be determined where to mount speaker amp and sub amp. I kindof like Alpine amps but there kindof big. Would like the subs amp mounted on new raised seat pedestal. Mounted here scumbags won’t see what they can’t see saves me a window and my stuff.



Mite be able to mount speakers amp behind drivers seat on the closet. This spot is already spoken for as a lunch an drink cooler.



I bought this claireon head unit for my boat but never got around to installing it so I may want to use it in my van.








I also have a el cheapo Blaupunk used it in my v8 trailblazor along w/ its oem speakers an amps it was a complete turd of a head unit.but did have GPS an flash drive port. Very user unfriendly but did work when setup.maybe when a scumbag sees a cheap blaupunk I can keep my window.


I had to purchase an adapter rp4-gm11 to use the bluapunk in the trailblazor, since I'm not using the oem speakers or amps will this adapter be used?

I’d like to try some Memphis speakers Memphis SRXP62C 6.5" 125W RMS peak power 250watts.

since these Memphis’s ($200) have a high SPL doe’s this mean they seriously crank up where the trade off is less sound quality? I think my previous speaker where classified as competition speakers I believe that means there are designed to seriously crank up. They do sound good but I tend not to blast the speaker all the time. Would prefer sound quality at civilized volume levels.

anyone here have these Memphis speakers.open to suggestions for front speakers in this price range emphasizes on sound quality instead of loudness.



The last set of speakers I bought for TA the Alpine SPX-177R (where $500 per set) fronts and behind seats (2sets). There rated at 75watts rms so I purchased the Alpine amp 4x75watts rms then I found out these speakers really need more power than the 75watts rms (note box says 300watts) is just a suggestion.



So how exactly do I match the speaker to the amp.?



Thanks for advice

adriver

iTrader: (1)

Not sure what year the TB is, but if it's similar that adapter will probably work. It's going to keep the factory door chimes, and keep steering wheel controls, (which it looks like you don't have, but could add in if you wanted to replace the steering wheel, and some more).


That slim sub will make it easy. It certainly won't do much. It will help with the overall sound, but don't expect to feel that.


I'd go with the blaupunkt just to have GPS. If you had that hooked up to the stock amps and speakers, they might have been different ohms, and it never got a fair chance to show itself. Odd ohms and wiring in series is how the SUVs are done.


Peak is just a gimmick. Forget peak. Peak is measuring for one second / burst with however much signal loss happens, it doesn't care. Just match up RMS to RMS.


For every 100watts you are adding about 6 amps of draw, (wattage x amp efficiency (usually about 85% or x .85), then divided by voltage). On 05+ pickups it's no longer controlled by the alternator. Not sure what yours is. 75 x 4 = 300, + 200 sub = 500w which is about 30 amps. The big 3 always helps, you MIGHT be able to get away with not doing it, but I would always suggest it. No clue what your alternator is, but I know for LS you can get 105, 130, 160. You could probably get away with not upgrading it unless you already need to. If you crank it up and your lights dim, you will need to do the big 3, (on bigger setups you would then need to upgrade the circuit for the draw). If you play it on high for a while (more than 30/60 minutes), and your battery voltage starts dropping, then you would need to upgrade the alternator to charge more.

BigKID

iTrader: (5)

If you are not into fabbing a custom enclosure for the sub, a lot of guys in the Jeep community have been happy with that Rockville self powered sub off Amazon.

For matching the mids/highs with an amp, I agree RMS power is what you need to be looking at. Other specs to consider for the speakers is efficiency and THD for the amp. The speaker efficiency is measured in db/w and is basicly how loud the speaker will be for the given wattage. Higher is better. Most good speakers are in the mid-90 range. As the power handling goes up, the efficiency usually goes down. THD or Total Harmonic Distortion determines how clean of a signal the amp will provide at its rated power. Obviously lower is better in regards to sound quality. As briefly mentioned above, be sure to match the impedance of the speakers with the capabilities of the amp. This is usually not an issue with component sets as they are usually 4ohm and all amps will be able to drive that in stereo for a typical installation. When you start configuring multiple subs in a circuit and bridging amplifiers is where this becomes more important. Something else worth mentioning, if you are trying to keep things compact with limited space, consider a Class D amplifier. I will not get as hot and require the cooling airflow a traditional Class A/B will. They will not be as powerful but not really needed in your application. A 4x50-75W amp for front/rear components along with a 8" or 10" powered sub is really all you need to fill the van with good sound.

The are not the cheapest place to buy on the internet but I like Crutchfield.com for researching and building systems as they provide tested specs and have expert and consumer reviews.

thebrain

my van is a 04 so will I still need to use this adaptor so the door chime will work. I was thinking I don't need the adaptor.
the big 3 isn't that where the output of alternator goe's directly to positive of battery the negative post of battery goes the car bodys ground an I think the alternators case is also grounded to car body? all these connections w/ big 0 gauge wire.

I believe the alt. is a 105amp. one wire I'll take a close look an report back. I would like to upgrade the alternator not just for replenishing the start battery but the house battery (which is currently a lead acid group27 I'm concidering amg type battery for house stuff).I have a victron battery isolater inbetween the start an house batterys.

how do you Guys like these Memphis speakers they seam to need more power than my alpines I have in the car?
the blaupunkt also has a backup camera display w/ RCA ports not sure if I can connect my last tow vehicals camera also I'd like to be able for reverse to not just come on while in reverse if it's not to complicated to connect like this.
thanks

yes I'm into fabbing a sub box I used 1st layer reynolds wrape 2ndlayer masking tape in my TAs cubby hole to make a mold then fiberglassed around a MDF front, so I feel confident in fabbing a .5 cubic foot sealed enclosure for a 10" sub problem is space is seriously limited.
yes I was surprized in the positive reviews on the rockville sub I've never heard of this co. now kicker also has there version of a amplified sub.180watts rms. just curious of the under seat area height is like only 3" like how much space is required for a self powered to work properly?

will report back w/ type of review camera an it's wiring to use w/ blaupunkt. thanks

BigKID

iTrader: (5)

In that case, replacing the seat pedestal with a down firing sub enclosure may be the ticket to address the space constraints. That would allow for more internal airspace over trying to fit an enclosure under the pedestal. Be sure to factor in required internal volume, mount depth and excursion of the sub along with structural demands of the seat and passenger when designing the enclosure. Matching the sub/amp and sub/enclosure will be critical to the sound quality and loudness.

thebrain

I can only elevate the pedistol 3" max. would prefer not to elevate the seat more than 1 1/2" would prefer to not elevate at all it will be alot of work then the passenger will sit higher than driver.

I still like the Memphis speakers even though they need mimiun 125rms. which seams like a high power requirement compared to most other speakers.like even my alpine spx are 50watts rms less at 75rms an there a competition type speaker whatever that means (I assume they crank up more than regular speakers).



Been looking at amps not many 2 channels w/ 125rms to choose from.

Maybe a 4 channel bridged?

I’m confussed about the 2ohm an 4ohm power. obviously less resistance

produces more power however I’m not seeing a switch on the amp

to choose between 2 an 4ohm.

The Memphis don’t list there ohms one reviewer says there 4ohm.

So I’m thinking amps don’t have a switch for 2 or 4 ohms you must match the

Speaker to amp, so I guess this means amps are either 2 or 4ohms?



So how much room above the self powered Rockville subs woofer is required

Like I have a tad over 3” for height the inclosure’s height is 2.7” so I’m currently at less than ½”.



The image of the rockville includes what appear to be surport feet which probably increase the height.



Wiring power feeds for amp an self powered sub nomaly comes from the start battery. I’ll probably

seldom if ever play tunes w/ engine off so should I be concidering powering from house battery basicely protecting start battery?

I hope the high powered Memphis speakers don't overpower the low power rockville sub. surprized at the high # of positive reviews on the rockville.
thanks

strutaeng

The ohm rating is set by the speaker themselves. They should have a ohm speciation. Most automotive stuff think is 4 ohms. A few speakers have dual voice coils which you can run in series or parallel, and would obviously change the impedance (ohms.)

You can check speaker impedance with a DVOM, usually will be pretty close to the specified rating.

thebrain

OK I understand now. yes my infinity kappa sub in the car had two inputs now I know why. would they be labled 2-4ohm or do you just use one for 2 and both for 4ohm like jumper them together? sub sounds great w/ a best buys rockford AB type amp I bridged to 300watts but then the cars interia (plus I made a proper sized sealed enclosure I think one cubic feet)) is 1/5 the space of the van.

been looking at amps as posted above kindof like alpines but am willing to try a decent brand I'm not familiar w/. like skar or rockville apparently Memphis has a association w/ rockville (maybe thats there low end section?

I'm sure w/ some good clean power the Memphis's will sound excellent how about expensive speakers an slitely cheapening out on the amp. or will a cheap amp ruin the nice speakers?

btw what arrangement of audio do you have in your 3500? thanks

thebrain

update remember I'm still planning around the Memphis speakers mainly bc of the sensitivity like 94 is a serious speaker right?

decide agaist dicking around w/ the a self powered flattened sub under the front seat plan.(unless I can test hear them an I approve would make things easier then use rear door for future storage).

new plan is to fab my own enclosure in driver rear door. w/ MDF ring and fiberglass side.
I believe a 10" sub. will require half a cubic foot.
the under pass seat will probally be where the front speakers an sub amps get mounted .

I'm concerned how low the OEM front speakers are located so low there at foot level, like are they being choked off. I could fab another enclosure for fronts an mount higher. the already made pods sean kindof small. exactly how big should a enclosesure be for the 6.5" memphis's?thanks for audio advice.

thebrain

still decideing on locations of stuff speakers definitey will be in the way of my left knee. so now considering on dash right at the windshield pillar, remember I'm fabbing a inclosure.

I think the head unit will be overhead just above the rear view mirror. I'm planning a nicer overhead console like found in conversion vans or mite fab a small console to hold small stuff w/ a sunglass case attached.I would exspecialley like a flap to cover the HU out of sight scum mite just see the crumie GM HU an keep walking so I can keep my stuff.

not sure about placing sub so far back in back door (remember the van is 20' long. now considering just above behind front seats then it mite be to close. proballey best under the front pass seat. could start at seat then always move.
having the head unit an amps close will ease the RCA wires install. what do you Guys think of my locations.





yeah I know scum will see the peakers so proballey not a good idea. this express doors will leak in heavey rain so I not only want to hear the speakers but protect them from mositure.
Thanks for audio advice